Maternity garment



Dec. 8, 1953 P. AUSLENDER 2,661,475

MATERNITY GARMENT Filed Jan. 28, 1948 INVENTOR. Pearl (ll/slender Patented Dec. 8, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to maternity and other garments, and more particularly to tunics, blouses, and skirts and the like.

Maternity. upper garments of past construction, while providing for expansion to allow for upper garment which may be worn by a woman who is not pregnant or one throughout pregnancy without the above-noted disadvantages. It is another object of the invention to provide a maternity garment having no waistline and in which the extra material provided for expansion is substantially concealed or in any event not conspicuous when the garment is worn.

Another object of my invention is to provide a tunic, top dress blouse, or like maternity garment so constructed as to permit expansion of the garment, without bulging, thus keeping it trim and neat at all times. In fact, my garment when wornhdoes not look like a maternity dress, so that the same garment may be worn attractively by women-"of different sizes who are not pregnant.

My garment does not reveal unproportional distortion of the womans figure, and, after pregnanoy, it can be worn as a regular garment without requiring removal of any material or indeed any change whatever.

Maternity skirts as heretofore constructed are essentially like ordinary skirts except of course that provision is made for expansion with the advance of pregnancy. As the skirt is expanded, its upper end must be disposed at progressively higher levels in order for the skirt to be supported by the abdomen, thus causing the hem to be located at progressively higher levels and to be uneven.

Further objects and advantages of my invention will appear as the description proceeds.

The invention will be better understood upon reference to the following description and accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. l is a front view of a form of my maternity tunic or blouse when unexpanded.

Fig. 2 is a back view of same.

Fig. 3 is a side view of the same.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken as indicated by the line 44 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a side View of the tunic, slightly expanded, as in early pregnancy.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken in Fig. 5.

Fig. '7 is a side view of the tunic fully expanded.

Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken in Fig. 7.

Figs. 9 and 10 are sectional views taken as indicated by the lines 9-9 and |0|0 in Fig. 3.

Fig. 11 is an elevational view of a maternity skirt and adjustable suspenders.

Figs. 12 and 13 are sectional views taken as indicated by the lines l2-I2 and |3l3, respectively, in Fig. 11.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, there is shown an illustrative embodiment of the upper garment of my invention such as a blouse or tunic 20 which may have a back panel 22, a front which may comprise a substantially T-shaped piece 24 having a head 25 and stem 26, and two generally trapezoidal side expansion inserts 21 sewed to the back panel and to the head and stem to form seams 28 and 3|], each insert being substantially wider at the bottom 32 than at the top 34 thereof to provide a flare for enhancing the shape of the garment, and sleeves 3B sewed at 38 to the back panel 22 and the ends of the T-head 25, respectively. The upper end 34 of each insert 21 is preferably spaced somewhat below the lower portion 4|! of the sleeve seam 3'8, and between each insert and the adjacent sleeve is a relatively narrow T-head ex tension or bridge 42. Each extension 42 and the associated insert 21 constitute together a unit doubled upon itself to form a pleat, with an inner fold 44 and an outer fold 46, the upper edge 48 of the so-folded T-head extension 42 being sewed to the sleeve seam portion 4i). Eyes 50 are attached'at any suitable points just rearward of the outer fold line 46, and cooperating hooks 53 are attached to the margin of the insert 2? adjacent the seam 28, so that, when said hooks are in said eyes, the outer fold line is adjacent the seam 28, and the hooks and eyes are concealed from the front and from the back, the hooks and eyes being preferably so close to the sleeve seam that they are normally concealed by the sleeve or, regardless whether or not sleeves are present, the hooks and eyes will be concealed by the arms of the wearer.

A tie-back 56 is sewed at 58 to each insert 21 at the outer fold line 46 intermediate of the height and width of the insert, the tie-backs being adapted to be tied together at the back as shown at B0 in Fig. 2.

When the upper garment 20 is worn by a woman who is not pregnant or who is in the earliest stages of pregnancy, requiring little or no expansion of the garment, the hooks 53 may be disposed in the eyes 50 and the tie-backs 56 tied together with the outer fold lines 46 substantially adjacent the seam 28, as shown in Figs. 1, 3, 4 and 10. When the pregnancy has developed further, the hooks 53 may be removed from the eyes 50 and the outer fold lines 46 may dispose themselves substantially as shown in Figs. 5 and 6. At the last stages of pregnancy the garment may be fully expanded, as shown in Figs. '7 and 8, the inner fold lines 44 and outer fold lines 46 under such circumstances being non-existent except at the upper ends thereof as shown in Fig. '7, and such upper ends will be substantially concealed by the arms of the wearer.

In early pregnancy, the figure change is concealed completely by this garment, and thereafter, throughout pregnancy, the impression of the figure change on the observer is greatly minimized.

The upper garment of my invention has no defined waistline. In pregnancy, the figure loses the waistline, and a defined waistline in a maternity garment gives a distorted appearance to the figure. The tunic or top dress blouse need not extend beyond the hips, as the figure in pregnancy develops no farther down than the hip-line. The dress does not curve inwardly where there is no development, and therefore does not present the appearance of an ugly distorted figure.

Undue emphasis of the condition of the wearer by too many pleats, folds, gathers, and the like in the front and elsewhere, tending to add the appearance of bulk to an already bulky figure, is avoided by the arrangement of my invention.

A maternity skirt illustrative of my invention is shown at '50 in Figs. 11, 12 and 13. The upper part 62 of the skirt 60 is pleated and provided with any suitable means, for example hooks 64 and eyes 96, for adjustment circumferentially. The skirt 69 is also provided with a pair of suspender straps 68, each fastened by stitching or otherwise to the back of the skirt and having vertically spaced hooks 12, say about one inch apart, on its lower free front portion I4, said hooks opening upward and those on each strap adapted selectively to hook into an eye 10 suitably secured to the upper inner portion of the skirt front. During early pregnancy, it may be convenient to connect the topmost hooks 12 with the eyes '55; during intermediate pregnancy, the intermediate hooks may be used; and in the final stages the bottom hooks may be employed. As the upper garment 20 preferably covers the pleated portion of the skirt, as indicated in dashdot lines in Fig. 11, it is apparent that the complete assembly presents a trim appearance.

It is to be understood that snap fasteners or 4 other suitable separable fasteners may be eniployed in lieu of hooks and eyes.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction for carrying my invention into effect, this is capable of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of the invention. I therefore do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of such variations and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

A maternity tunic having a back and a front, said front comprising a T-section extending from top to bottom of said tunic and side sections stitched to the lower edges of the arms of said T-section and coextensive with and flanking and stitched to the stem of said T-section, a seam at each side of said tunic and joining said back to the outer edge of each side section and the end edge of the adjacent T-seotion arm, said arms and back defining armholes above said seams, the portions of said arms and side sections below the armholes being longitudinally folded to form pleats, one at each side, extending from the armholes to the bottom of the tunic, each pleat comprising an inner fold and an outer fold, the distance between the folds of each pleat being gradually increased from the armholes to the bottom of the tunic, each pleat being open throughout its length and at the bottom thereof but closed at the top, releasable means secured to the mutually facing portions of each pleat for substantially closing the open side of said pleat adjacent the top thereof, said means, when in use, being shielded from view by said pleat, and, whether in use or not, being shielded from view by the arms of the wearer, and tie-backs connected. to intermediate portions of the outer folds, said outer folds being disposed at the sides of said tunic, whereby said pleats may be opened to the extent required to accommodate the tunic to the wearer, and, when said tie-backs are tied, said tunic presents a trim appearance at all times.

PEARL AUSLENDER.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS manna, 

